We‘re all familiar with rattan, although sometimes we think it‘s one and the same as wicker. But the material we now associate with cozy furniture is actually full of surprises. The term rattan, for instance, defines more than 600 species of climbing palms and a lot of them are in fact more similar to lianas than to actual wood. Rattan has slender stems and doesn‘t grow like a tree but more like a vine, also being a bit similar to bamboo from certain points of view.

The world is full of stereotypes and preconceived notions that change the way we think or dictate the decisions we make in life. For example, when trying to picture a masculine interior decor a lot of people immediately go to images of a dark, sterile space ruled by chaos or of a space that‘s austere and has an unrealistic futuristic look. Such spaces definitely exist but they don’t actually define the majority.

The term has evolved to define anything made specifically from the rattan plant. The material is preferred by the wicker manufacturers because of its increased strength and durability compared to reeds and other fibers. Wicker, on the other hand, is the product resulted from weaving rattan, cane, willow, raffia and other natural materials. These are first cut into strips, dried and often soaked in water to become more flexible, after which they’re woven into wicker.